Most UK shops put a new Pokemon set on pre-order soon after The Pokemon Company announces it. In 2026 that has been 71 to 78 days before release.
UK shops open Pokemon pre-orders once The Pokemon Company has announced a set and its release date, and how far ahead that is depends on the shop. Magic Madhouse says it is usually 4 to 8 weeks before release. Infinity Collectables says it typically opens pre-orders three months out. The announcement itself came 71 to 78 days before release for each of the five Mega Evolution sets of 2026. For the next one, Delta Reign, it was 78 days: Pokemon announced it on 20 August 2026 for release on 6 November 2026. What you pay, and when your order ships, also varies by shop.
It depends on the shop, and the ones that say anything give different figures. These are their own words, read again on 9 October 2026.
| Shop | When pre-orders open | When it ships |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Madhouse | "as soon as The Pokémon Company announces the set's product line-up and UK release date", usually 4 to 8 weeks before release | On launch day |
| Infinity Collectables | "We typically open pre-orders three months before release" | "the same day stock arrives" |
| Zatu | Not stated | Aims to arrive on release day, or within 5 working days if the supplier is late |
| Chaos Cards | Not stated | Sent to its warehouse the day before release, for products with a strict release date |
The two figures do not really disagree. Both shops wait for the announcement, because until then nobody knows the UK date or the product list. Magic Madhouse's pre-order page ties its opening to that announcement. Infinity Collectables' release calendar gives the longer figure. The Magic Madhouse page was last dated May 2026, so treat its window as a habit, not a promise.
From 20 August 2026 at the earliest. That is the day The Pokemon Company's press release said Mega Evolution Delta Reign would be at participating retailers from 6 November 2026, in booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes and other collections. That leaves 78 days, which is longer than Magic Madhouse's 4 to 8 weeks and a little short of Infinity Collectables' three months. Our Delta Reign page lists the UK products and the distributor's RRPs, and the Pokemon release calendar has every set with a UK date. What each shop's page says about Delta Reign pre-orders is in the table in our Delta Reign UK guide.
Ten or eleven weeks, going by this year. On 9 October 2026 we read the media alerts on The Pokemon Company's press site and counted the days between each set's announcement and its release date.
| Set | Announced | Release date | Days between |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended Heroes | 20 November 2025 | 30 January 2026 | 71 |
| Perfect Order | 8 January 2026 | 27 March 2026 | 78 |
| Chaos Rising | 12 March 2026 | 22 May 2026 | 71 |
| Pitch Black | 30 April 2026 | 17 July 2026 | 78 |
| 30th Celebration | 1 June 2026 (product line-up on 30 June) | 16 September 2026 | 107 (78 from the line-up) |
| Delta Reign | 20 August 2026 | 6 November 2026 | 78 |
The 30th Celebration set is the odd one out. Pokemon unveiled it on 1 June, 107 days ahead, and named the products on 30 June, 78 days before release. A shop can't list a pre-order for a product that hasn't been named, so the line-up date is the one to go by. Infinity Collectables' three months is longer than the notice Pokemon gave for any of the five Mega Evolution sets, so in practice it means as soon as a set is announced. Magic Madhouse's 4 to 8 weeks puts its listings a few weeks after the announcement.
Nothing after Delta Reign has a date yet. On 9 October 2026 it was the newest set on the press site's schedule. Last winter's set, Ascended Heroes, was announced on 20 November 2025 for 30 January 2026. That is last year's date and no forecast, but it is the only guide there is to when the next announcement might come.
At most UK hobby shops, yes. Total Cards takes "instant payment at the checkout", except for Klarna, which it only invoices once the order ships. Zatu's FAQ says payment is taken when you place the order, and Magic Madhouse says "You'll pay at checkout". If the price then falls before release, Zatu's Pre-Order Price-Drop Guarantee gives you a discount code worth the difference, on items marked with it.
Usually not. Total Cards says that if an order has in-stock and pre-order items, "we will keep your available items safe with us until everything is ready to dispatch", and suggests separate orders if you cannot wait. Chaos Cards' pre-order page says the same: orders with pre-order items are "only picked and dispatched once all of the items in the order are in stock". The upside is that what you ordered is held for you. Chaos Cards says items you are waiting on "won't be re-sold". Its most wanted releases skip the queue altogether: on 25 September 2026 the Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box carried a Product drop label, which means a draw rather than a pre-order, as explained in how Chaos Cards product drops work.
Because a shop can only pre-sell what it expects to receive, and the popular products are limited. Infinity Collectables says that "If a set is hot, we cap quantities per customer to keep it fair", and Magic Madhouse sells its pre-orders on the promise of a "guaranteed allocation" of Elite Trainer Boxes, Booster Bundles and Booster Boxes. Our guide to Pokemon card purchase limits in the UK has the limits shop by shop. Once a shop's allocation is spoken for, the listing goes to sold out. A shop that opened later, or that gets more stock, may still have some. Our guide on why Pokemon cards look sold out everywhere goes into that. Argos is a different case again. In May 2026 it said it would only sell Pokemon cards through its app, which our Argos Pokemon cards guide explains.
Watch for the announcement
Pre-orders follow The Pokemon Company's announcement of the set and its date. The release calendar lists every set once it has a UK date.
Pick two or three shops
Shops open at different times after an announcement, from about a month to three months before release. Choose shops whose policies you have read.
Put a monitor on each shop's Pokemon page
A new-product alert tells you when the pre-order listing appears, so you are not checking by hand for weeks.
Order the pre-order on its own
Keep it apart from in-stock items, or the whole order waits for release day.
If it sells out, watch the product page
A sold-out pre-order can come back when a shop gets more stock. A restock monitor on that page tells you when it does.
Yes. If the shop runs on Shopify, as Infinity Collectables does (it has a Pokemon TCG collection and a pre-order collection), a Shopify monitor on a shop's Pokemon collection sends a new product alert when a pre-order listing appears there, and it is on every plan, including Free. For a shop on anything else, paste its pre-order or Pokemon page into a universal monitor. Our UK restock tracker guide covers watching for stock once the set is out.
After The Pokemon Company announces the set and its UK release date. Magic Madhouse says that is usually 4 to 8 weeks before release, and Infinity Collectables says it typically opens pre-orders three months before.
Not before 20 August 2026, when The Pokemon Company announced it for release on 6 November 2026. Shops opened pre-orders after that announcement.
Ten or eleven weeks in 2026. The five Mega Evolution sets from Ascended Heroes to Delta Reign were each announced 71 to 78 days before their release date, going by the media alerts on The Pokemon Company's press site.
None has been announced. On 9 October 2026, Delta Reign (6 November 2026) was the newest set on The Pokemon Company's press schedule. Last winter's set, Ascended Heroes, was announced on 20 November 2025.
At most UK hobby shops, yes. Total Cards and Zatu take payment at checkout, and Magic Madhouse says you pay at checkout. Total Cards only invoices Klarna orders when they ship.
Usually. Total Cards and Chaos Cards both hold an order until every item in it is in stock, so order pre-orders separately if you want the rest sooner.
That is the aim at most shops. Magic Madhouse ships on launch day, Infinity Collectables ships the day stock arrives, and Zatu aims for release day or within 5 working days if its supplier is late.
Get told when pre-orders open Five monitors free, checked every 60 seconds. Alerts to email or Discord.